That said, there were a few standout tracks that warrant mention. Whether they stand the test of the years -- or even the months -- remains to be seen. They may not even warrant the title "Best of 2012" but rather "A few songs from 2012 that intrigued me"... hardly a ringing endorsement. In any case, here are the songs that I enjoyed most this year:
"The Descent" - Bob Mould
2012 found the ex-Husker Du and Sugar frontman at the top of his game. Even if he's singing about the end of his relevant life. In doing so, perhaps he's maintaining his relevance. Either way, "The Descent" has the drive and snarl that marks Mould's best work. And it may well be my favorite song of the year. It's a great video, too.
"Motion Sickness" - Hot Chip
I resisted Hot Chip for years. I'm not entirely sure why -- after all, they're British, they're dancey, and they use lots of synths. Sounds good to me. But for whatever reason, they never grabbed me. Until now.
"Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings" - Father John Misty
This former Fleet Fox is a neo-folky that I like. There's nothing terribly new here -- FJM borrows heavily from people like Gram Parsons, Townes Van Zandt, Nick Drake, Harry Nilsson and the Laurel Canyon scene -- but I like the emotionality of this track.
"Dreamin'" - Twerps
Sounding a lot like 2010's breakthrough band Real Estate (from Ridgewood, NJ!), this Australian quartet breezes through this jangle-pop gem, and even sticks in a lovely little surf-rock guitar lick.
"Little Talks" - Of Monsters and Men
Probably the poppiest thing on my list -- or at least the most commercially successful. I think I first heard it played in a Barnes and Noble. It's probably unfair to compare it to Bjork or Sigur Ros, but there must be something in the icewater up there in Iceland.
"The Puritan" - Blur
Who would have though Damon, Graham, Alex and Dave would get back together. Perhaps we have the London Olympics to thank for that unlikely reunion, and the two new songs that resulted from it. Unlike the brooding piano ballad "Under the Westway", this is a full-speed-ahead rocker that wouldn't be out of place on Blur's best albums.
"Cherokee" - Cat Power
Another artist I never got into, that is until she started using synths. Everyone seems to have Sun on their Album of the Year lists, and no wonder. She started experimenting with synthesizers and the result is undeniable. This is a well-conceived and well-executed effort.
"Womyn" - Himanshu
If the premature death of Adam Yauch was the year's worst news, the dissolution of the Beastie Boys' spiritual progeny Das Racist may have been the runner up. But up from the ashes comes DR's Heems, who released his solo mixtape Nehru Jackets. Like the best of Das Racist, this track will have you laughing out loud with lines about women like "They like to watch shows/Some of them don't/They like to read prose/Some of them like to date pros/That's professionals/Others don't." If you want to Heems kill it with something a tad more serious, try "Kate Boosh featuring Kool A.D. & Despot", which features a sample of Kate Bush's 1982 single "Suspended in Gaffa".
"Gawd Above" - John Fullbright
Let's get past all the hipster wanna be folk people out there and get right to this guy -- a farm-raised Okie who blew up at this year's SXSW festival.Watch this video and you'll know why.
"Yet Again" - Grizzly Bear
Another very strong release from Brooklyn's favorite hipsters.
"Only in my Dreams" - Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti
Nice jangly guitar work on this sweet-sounding track that actually is a bit creepy when you give it a good listen. Ariel Pink is one weird dude.
"Tessellate" - Alt J
Leeds band Alt J -- the name is the Mac keystroke for how to make a Delta -- won Britain's coveted Mercury Prize for its trippy brand of minimalist synth pop.
"Dreamers" - Savoir Adore
More weird pop -- music that sounds perfectly fine for the radio only to realize there's a certain strangeness just beneath the surface. This Brooklyn duo calls itself purveyors of "fantasy rock", and as if the flamboyantly ridiculous video doesn't convince you, other songs on their album Our Nature are about things like being seduced by monsters. I mean, really.
Now were back on terra firma with this roots country duo from South Carolina who are as much punk as they are country. The band consists of married couple Michael Trent and Cary Ann Hearst who claim as their influences everyone from Woody Guthrie to the Cramps. The raw and raspy-voiced Hearst is the kind of singer that makes you wonder if she's going to hit her notes but she always does -- and together they do great harmonies. For further listening, check out the great track "Gasoline" from a few years ago.
"Hey Jane" - Spiritualized
My brother is one of the biggest Spiritualized/Spaceman 3 fans I know. As a longtime fan, he became disillusioned by some of the band's recent efforts, but he was happy to report that this year's Sweet Heart Sweet Light was among their best.And this track certainly does hit all the Spiritualized hallmarks. Allmusic called it "one of the most transcendant things [Jason] Pierce has recorded in years" and notes -- like the band's best work -- it has a dark undercurrent beneath that poppy melody.
"Angels" - the xx
I have a soft spot for this band because they played at the cafe at my work. I actually got tied up and didn't get to see them -- but I did make it in time to watch them pack up their own gear. Sad, really. But maybe that's an analogy for their whole schtick: They do more with less than any other band out there, and this track features their trademark minimalism.
"You Call Me On" - Twin Shadow
I think I Soundhounded this song somewhere, and for good reason. George Lewis, Jr makes 80s-inspired synth pop but is equally at home with chillwave and R&B. He may have more dimensions than fellow 80s aspirant Neon Indian, though Alan Palomo might be the better songwriter. .
"Michael Praytor, Five Years Later" - Ben Folds Five
Another Soundhoud find, I probably haven't thought too much about Ben Folds since 1997's ubiquitous "Brick"
"Glide" - Pinback
I've always liked this San Diego band and their 2012 effort doesn't disappoint. It's hard to believe these guys aren't bigger than they are.
"Encyclopedia of Classic Takedowns" - A.C. Newman
Some of the best power pop ever recorded (and I'm serious about that) is from the Vancouver band The New Pornographers. Great riffs, great chord structuring and terrific harmonizing from A.C. Newman and the great Neko Case. Case returns on Newman's 2012 solo album Shut Down the Streets.
"Better" - TEEN
Is anyone getting tired of synth-pop from Brooklyn? Not if sounds like this. (But seriously, if Seattle was the center of the 90s, Brooklyn is the center of today. No kidding.) This female foursome's debut album was produced by Sonic Boom of Spacemen 3 fame, so it has pedigree, too.
Hats off to Camden's Madness, still going strong after 36 years. Unlike here in the states, where they're remembered for 1982's "Our House", they've been consistent hitmakers at home in England. After a five-year hiatus, followed by sporadic reunions, 2009's The Liberty of Norton Folgate put them back on the map, and back in the critics' good graces. And this year's Oui Oui, Si Si, Ja Ja, Da, Da keeps the streak going.
UPDATE: I forgot one of the cleverest songs of 2012 -- "Greatest Hits" by Mystery Jets. The song is about a couple breaking up and how they divide their joint record collection. And with each mention of an iconic album, there's a little homage -- musically -- to the album itself. My favorites -- perhaps not surprisingly -- are the references to "This Nation's Saving Grace" by the Fall, "Country Life" by Roxy Music and "Village Green" by the Kinks.
Wow! Quite a lengthy list. For the first time in years, I find myself without a "best of" list for 2012. Maybe it wasn't a great year, maybe I am becomming somewhat disconnected with newer music. Either way, I am dissapointed: either in today's music or in myself for finally growing old.
ReplyDeleteAs for your list, i will give it a serious listen. I do take offense to your first choice in Bob Mould by stating that he is "at the top of his game." How can that be?
Also, Of Monster's and Men's "Little Talks" made my best of 2011 list. Funny how both of us do this. We discover music a little later than the other yet, seem to include it on our lsit the next year. I think I did this for Foster for the People a few years back.
I will comment once again after a serious listening session.
Maybe I'll make a "Best of..." EP edition.
I started this list as an EP list... but it grew a bit as I dove into the music of this year. There was a fair amount of decent stuff, but my qualifier at the top of the post explains my thinking this year.
ReplyDeleteI think Bob Mould's "The Descent" is one of his best tracks since his early solo career. In fact, the album Silver Age holds up very strongly against much of his body of work. Is it better than his work with Husker Du? No. But as a solo artist, I'm comfortable saying Bob Mould is at the top of his game.
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